I found a word 'cool toy' in the following sentence in today's New York Times article:
'Spending money on tablet computers may seem an extravagance, but some educators say they are more than just a cool toy.'
What does 'cool toy' mean? What are typical items of cool toy, for instance? Are they electronic toys?

Always found ironic that english speakers use cool or hot depending on context to mean something fashionable. If you mix, it will give "The coolest toys are selling like hot cakes."
–
ogerardApr 22 '11 at 16:56

5 Answers
5

Cool toy is not a technical term. Here, cool is an informal way of saying excellent or fashionable; see the definition number 7 at Merriam-Webster or Wiktionary. What is cool is highly subjective; different people will have different opinions. For example, some might say that iPhone is cool; others might disagree. A cool toy doesn't have to be electronic. For example, I think that LEGO is extremely cool. (But again, others might disagree and say that Playmobil is cooler.)

I think the expression cool toy in this context is describing grown-up 'toys', and not so much children toys. An iPhone is a cool toy, but LEGO is a cool toy.
–
aweJan 6 '11 at 10:07

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@awe: note the word "educators" or just have a look at the article. It is actually about schools handing out iPads to students. It's talking about kids, sixth graders, and even kindergartners getting their hands on iPads.
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RegDwigнt♦Jan 6 '11 at 10:32

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Those Playmobil people are simply wrong. You can ignore them. :)
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Mr. Shiny and New 安宇Jan 7 '11 at 14:53

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Playmobil never felt warm to me, but I would never have called them cool :-)
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ogerardApr 22 '11 at 16:52

I now understand 'cool toy' is a fancy, fashionable gadget providing amusement. I didn't imagine that the word 'toys' is applicable to an item like luxuary cars and motorcycles.
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Yoichi Oishi♦Jan 6 '11 at 10:17

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@Yoichi Oishi: Before gadgets became cool, "toy" was used to describe the expensive machines purchased by the rich. For example: "Check out that sleek Bugatti! That's one of our boss's new toys.", "With this new toy," he said, stroking the hull of his yacht, "I've just joined the big boys' club."
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Jimi OkeJan 6 '11 at 14:16

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@Yoichi, @Jimi - also, the word "toy" is used ironically, as in Jimi's examples of a Bugatti and a yacht. These are items that are thousands or hundreds of thousands times more expensive that a child's rubber ball, yet have the same importance (or lack thereof) to someone fabulously wealthy.
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John SattaJan 6 '11 at 23:05